


Perfect: An Alchemy Lullaby Fanfic

by IFoundYouJustineTime



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28277619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IFoundYouJustineTime/pseuds/IFoundYouJustineTime
Summary: Varian wants to give Eugene a Christmas Gift
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Perfect: An Alchemy Lullaby Fanfic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Glacecakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glacecakes/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Alchemy Lullaby](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25816972) by [Glacecakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glacecakes/pseuds/Glacecakes). 



> This is a fanfiction set in Glacecake's Alchemy Lullaby universe in which Varian is only four years old and has been adopted by Eugene! No worries if you haven't read that fic yet. There's no big spoilers in this little one shot. But if you enjoy this do consider giving it a look!

Varian was starting to understand why everyone made such a big deal about this Christmas thing. On a typical day, he'd be able to play with Eugene or maybe Rapunzel, but only after they were done with all their work. He had even less time to play with other people like Cassandra or Lance. So much of his time was spent with boring babysitters.

But on Christmas day, everyone, including the King and Queen, had no work to do. This meant Varian was able to spend the whole day with them. After playing with his toys and dragging Ruddiger around in the new cart, they went out to play in the snow. Then they came in for hot cocoa and a game Rapunzel called charades. This game lasted long into the evening.

As things started to wind down, the King and Queen said their goodnights and left the others. Cassandra had long since gone to spend time with her dad. Lance and Eugene passed out on the couch, leaving Rapunzel to watch Varian as he played with some of the toys he'd gotten just that morning. At one point, Varian grew silent. Then he looked up at her.

"'Punzel?" he said.

"Hm?" she looked up from writing in her journal.

"I like Christmas," he said.

Rapunzel smiled and leaned forward. "Oh yeah? What was your favorite part?"

Varian took a moment to gather his thoughts, then said. "Favorite part was… playing with everyone. I like it."

She nodded. "It's nice being with the people who love you most. And did you like your presents today?"

"Yeah," said Varian, a smile spreading across his face. "There was so many. Is there always lots of presents on Christmas?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Sometimes. It depends. But you got a lot this year because we love you, and we wanted you to know how much we love you."

Varian's little brain was turning. "Presents show love?"

"They're one of many ways to show love," she said. She put her journal down and pulled Varian into her lap. "Just like cuddles and kisses." Varian giggled as she hugged him close but became serious again. 

"I… I didn't give Eugene a gift," he said. He looked over at Eugene, sleeping on the couch. Varian loved him so much, but he hadn't given him anything. He hadn't known. As his little mind realized the implications, his lip started to quiver. "He… is he sad? Does he think I don't love him back?"

Rapunzel held Varian closer. "What? Oh, oh Varian, no. Eugene wasn't expecting you to give him anything. He already knows you love him."

"But…" Varian couldn't help but feel like he'd let Eugene down. 

Rapunzel realized how much this was distressing the boy. "Hey… it's not too late. How 'bout tomorrow, I help you make something for him?"

Varian looked up at her, tears in his eyes but alight with hope at the idea. He nodded.

  
  
  
  


Varian was up with the first morning light and bursting into Rapunzel's room, ready to work on his gift for Eugene. It took jumping on her bed and Ruddiger nuzzling into the princess's face for her to wake, but soon she was up and pacing.

"So," she said, "the key to a great gift is to think of things the person loves or likes to do."

Varian nodded, thinking. What did Eugene like to do? There were a lot of things. Mostly he seemed to enjoy doing whatever Varian was interested in. They would play, read, explore the castle… but that didn't give Varian any gift ideas. Wait, there was one thing Eugene enjoyed doing all the time. Varian didn't quite understand it, but Eugene seemed to like it a lot. He mentioned this to Rapunzel. 

She laughed, and for a moment, Varian thought he made a silly mistake. "Varian, that's perfect. You really do know him, don't you? I have just the idea for that!" Varian perked up, ready to do anything to make the perfect gift for Eugene. "Let's get started.

  
  
  


Christmas Day had been such a fun and full day Eugene assumed Varian would be tuckered out from everything. He expected having to drag the toddler out of bed yet again. So when he went to wake Varian up the following morning only to find an empty bed, he was justifiably concerned. 

He checked around the room first, looking under the bed to see if the toddler had rolled under it. Then he checked the closet to see if Varian had crawled inside for some reason. Varian was nowhere to be found.

"Hey! Guys!" Eugene called to the guards as he rushed out of the bedroom. "You see Varian? He's not in his room."

"Uh, well," said Stan. "He's probably around the castle playing, don't you think?"

"It's not like Varian to be up this early on his own," said Eugene, trying not to panic.

"We could do a search for him?" suggested Pete.

"Good thinking," said Eugene, already bolting. He caught sight of Cassandra in the hallway and skittered to a halt in front of her. "Cass! Varian! Have you seen him?"

"You lost him?" she asked calmly as she continued to dust the shelves. 

"What? No! I just don't know where he is!"

Cassandra shot him a look, and Eugene glowered at her. "I put him to bed last night like a good, responsible father should, and now he's not there."

She shrugged. "Probably out playing with that raccoon of his."

"Yes, but where?" asked Eugene, exasperated. 

Lance walked by just then. "Hey Eugene!"

"Lance!" cried Eugene, latching onto his best friend, "Have you seen Varian?" 

"No, sorry," he replied. 

"He could be anywhere!" shouted Eugene, throwing his hands dramatically in the air.

"Have you tried asking Raps?" asked Cassandra.

"Rapunzel! Yes! She'd know what to do!" Eugene ran for the princess's room without so much as a glance backward.

When he reached the door, he knocked on it urgently. "Blondie? You awake? I need your help! It's an emergency!"

He only relented his pounding on the door when his girlfriend's beautiful face poked through. "Eugene? What's wrong?"

"It's Varian!' Eugene explained as calmly as he could. "I have no idea where he is. He wasn't in bed this morning." He was shocked to see her worried face turn into a smile.

"Oh Eugene, don't worry. He's in here with me," she said happily.

"He… what? Why?" he asked.

Rapunzel's smile fell. "Is it that weird to think he might want to spend time with me?" She asked, clearly hurt. Eugene realized his mistake.

"No, oh gosh, Rapunzel, that's not what I meant. It's just that he's normally not an early riser, so I just wanted to be sure he's okay."

"He's perfectly fine," she said.

"Thank goodness," he said. He started to walk in, but Rapunzel stood in his way.

"Uh… you can't come in yet," she said. 

"And why can't I see my son?" asked Eugene

"Um… because… well…" she stammered. Eugene raised an eyebrow. "Well, Varian... uh, you see, he wanted this to be special bonding time. Just him and me."

"Just… just you and him?" he asked. 

"Yeah. Isn't it nice?" she asked. "He and I get to know each other better, and you get to have some time to yourself. You can catch up on things. Maybe spend time with Lance."

"Can I at least see him, so I know he's here?" pleaded Eugene.

"Eugene, don't you trust me?" she asked.

"Sunshine, you know I do. I trust you with my life. But my fatherly heart needs to be put at ease with visual confirmation."

Rapunzel sighed. "Okay, okay. Varian!" 

Little footsteps rushed over to the doorway, and Eugene was relieved to see Varian's bright blue eyes peering around the door. 

"Hi Eugene!" said Varian. Before Eugene could say anything back, Varian rushed back inside. 

"See?" said Rapunzel. "Perfectly fine. Now go enjoy your day!" She gave Eugene a swift peck on the cheek before closing the door.

Eugene stood there, feeling a crack forming on his heart. What was happening? Why was Varian acting so strange? Why did he want to spend time with Rapunzel and not him? Was it something he'd done? Was it something that happened yesterday?

He thought back to the previous day. Rapunzel had been the one to make the cart for Ruddiger. Varian had loved it so much. Eugene had been strict when it came to Varian's pet. What if that made Varian upset with him. What if…

What if Rapunzel was his favorite now?

The crack grew bigger.

  
  
  
  


Varian could only spare a few moments from his gift to say hi to Eugene. He couldn't risk him seeing the present before it was done. He rushed back and grabbed the next piece he wanted to put on. It was a shiny button. Varian slathered paste on the back of it then carefully placed it on the wood. 

He continued like this for a while, carefully crafting the gift. Occasionally Rapunzel helped him cut things down so they could fit or helped him apply paint. At one point, Varian tried to place a pinecone in the corner and accidentally crushed it under his fingers.

He screamed. 

"Hey, hey, Varian, calm down," said Rapunzel. She tried to rub his back, but he stood up, pulling away from her.

"No. Look! It's ruined," he cried. He reared his foot back to kick the gift. Pascal acted quickly, grabbing the present with his tongue and pulling it away. Rapunzel took it from the chameleon and held it up out of harm's way.

"Hold on, Varian, it's okay," she said. "We can fix it."

Varian's lip trembled. "But… it needs to be perfect," he said. 

"It will be," said Rapunzel. 

"But what if Eugene doesn't like it," asked Varian. 

"Oh, Varian," Rapunzel knelt down. Varian was still upset, and she cradled his cheek in one hand as tears spilled onto it. "Eugene loves you. And he's going to love this. Remember, we give gifts to show our love. You love him so much, right?"

"Yeah," said Varian, nodding somberly.

"Then just put all your love into this, and it will be perfect," she said.

Varian wiped his eyes and gave her a watery smile.

  
  
  


Eugene couldn't relax. He tried. He really did. He went straight to Lance, and the man had done the best he could to distract him from his worry over Varian. They played cards, stole sweets from the kitchen, and even tried sparing. But Eugene couldn't resist the storm of thoughts inside his head.

"What if he's grown tired of me? Ow!" 

Lance had poked him in the shoulder by accident with his sword. 

"Sorry. That's what happens when you're not paying attention," said Lance. 

"I just can't help it," said Eugene. He tossed his own sword to the side, and Lance followed suit. "My baby boy has been won over by my girlfriend. Now he's going to spend all his time with her. He's going to want her to comfort him. He's going to want her to read him bedtime stories. I never realized what I had until I lost it!"

"Can I say something honestly?" asked Lance. Eugene looked up at him. "From where I'm standing, you're being entirely unfair."

"What? Unfair?" asked Eugene.

"Well yeah," said Lance. "Varian chooses the Princess over you one time, and you have a meltdown. It doesn't mean he loves you any less. It just means he's becoming more comfortable with other people. That's a good thing, Eugene. And considering you hope to marry the woman someday, don't you want Varian and her to get along?"

"Yeah, but…" Eugene sighed. "You're right. I guess… I guess I kind of just panicked. I've grown so used to the way things were. It's just a reminder that the little guy is growing up."

Lance chucked. "He hasn't grown that much. You still have plenty of time. You just need to relax a little more and let him live his life. Just like we did. You might be his dad, but that doesn't mean you're the only person in his life. Varian has a whole family that loves him."

Eugene finally smiled. "I guess you're right. I'm happy he has so many people who love him now. He deserves it. And I guess I could use a bit of time away from him."

"Eugene!" Varian's voice called out from across the room.

"Varian!"

Eugene turned immediately to see the little guy running for him. Rapunzel stood back in the doorway, watching him go. Eugene ran to Varian and met him halfway, scooping him up in his arms. 

"Hey, Bluebird!" He cuddled Varian close, vaguely aware that the boy was holding onto a messily wrapped package. "You have fun with the Princess?"

"Yeah, she's very smart and nice. She helped me," said Varian.

"Helped you with what?" asked Eugene, setting Varian down. 

Varian held up the package. "It's your Christmas present. I made it!"

Eugene felt a warmth surge through his chest and a lump form in his throat at the offering. "For me?" he asked in awe.

"Yeah…" said Varian shyly. "So you know I love you."

Eugene took the gift and gave Varian another hug. "I know you do, Varian. And I love you." He pulled back. "So, what is it?"

"You have to open it," said Varian. 

"Yeah, Eugene. Don't you know how gift-giving works?" teased Lance.

Eugene laughed and unwrapped the paper. Inside he saw his own reflection staring back at him. It was a mirror. The frame was decorated with paint, glitter, and a variety of bits and bobbles all around it. Varian had clearly worked hard to make it look as lovely as possible. In the corner of the mirror itself were painted letters he assumed Rapunzel had helped with. They said simply, "Love you, Daddy!"

Eugene could see himself getting misty-eyed in the mirror. He looked over the frame to see Varian looking at him nervously. 

"Umm," said Varian. "Cause you like lookin in mirrors...."

"It's perfect," said Eugene. He opened his arms, and Varian lept into them. Eugene looked over the mess of black hair as Varian nuzzled into his shoulder, and his eyes met Rapunzel's. He mouthed a silent 'thank you' to her, to which she responded with a smile and a nod.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my submission for the 7k Server's Secret Santa Event 2020! I love Glace as a friend and as an author and wanted to write something that would honor and pay homage to her amazing work! If you have not read her Alchemy Lullaby series, please head over and give it a read. It's such a cute and lovely bit of fluff with some juicy angst. It's perfect for anyone who wants to see a stronger family connection between New Dream and Varian!!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


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